Tuesday, June 11, 2013

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

"People don’t need enormous cars; they need admiration and respect. They don’t need a constant stream of new clothes; they need to feel that others consider them to be attractive, and they need excitement and variety and beauty. People don’t need electronic entertainment; they need something interesting to occupy their minds and emotions. And so forth. Trying to fill real but nonmaterial needs—for identity, community, self-esteem, challenge, love, joy—with material things is to set up an unquenchable appetite for false solutions to never-satisfied longings."

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

“We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible. To have real conversations with people may seem like such a simple, obvious suggestion, but it involves courage and risk.” ― Thomas Moore (b. 1940)

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

CLEANING PIECE IWrite down a sad memory.Put it in a box.Burn the box and sprinkle the ashes in the field.You may give some ashesto a friend who shared the sadness.

CLEANING PIECE IIMake a numbered list of sadness in your life.Pile up stones corresponding to those numbers.Add a stone, each time there is sadness.Burn the list, and appreciate the mount of stones for its beauty.

Make a numbered list of happiness in your life.Pile up stones corresponding to those numbers.Add a stone, each time there is happiness.Compare the mount of stones to the one of sadness.

CLEANING PIECE IIITry to say nothing negative about anybody.a) for three daysb) for forty-five daysc) for three months

See what happens to your life.

CLEANING PIECE IVWrite down everything you fear in life.Burn it.Pour herbal oil with a sweet scent on the ashes.

CLEANING PIECE VLet a list of arbitary names come into your mind as you go to sleep.Say “bless you” after each name.Do this with speed, by keeping a constant rythm,so, in no way, you would hesitate to bless them.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.”
- Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986)

Thursday, November 15, 2012

“It's my conviction that slight shifts in imagination have more impact on living than major efforts at change... deep changes in life follow movements in imagination.”- Thomas Moore (1779-1852)

This Saturday the 17th, is the fantastic and fabulous DIY Trunk Show at the Broadway Armory Park. There are going to be great artists there, including the Letter Writers Alliance and 16 Sparrows. This is our first holiday show of the year and we can't wait. The show is from 10AM to 5PM at 5917 North Broadway Street, Chicago, IL 60660. See you there!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” – Helen Keller

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

What is often missing in modern culture is this depth of connection. When you see a culture dividing into simplistic polarities — which is all of our politics nowadays and most of our religion — what’s going on is a loss of soul. People who are in touch with their soul know what they’re supposed to be doing in the world and what their way of contributing to life is, in the same way that people know what music they love and what food they enjoy — not just life-sustaining food, but food that has flavor, that makes you feel nourished, even inspired. -Michael Meade

Hello!

Kathy here. I'm the history nerd behind this blog as well as one half of the stationery shop 16 Sparrows. I'm also co-founder of the member- based group, The Letter Writers Alliance. If you are new here, check out some of the most popular posts and work your way from there.

write more letters

Dec 6th (Sunday)World-WideVirtual Letter Social3pm-4:30pm Central
Join Kathy and Donovan via live video as we write some letters. This would be a great time to knock some of your holiday cards out while "meeting" some of your fellow members.Event Page

Jan, 10th (Sunday)World-WideL.W.A. Book Club12:30-1:30pm Central
Join Kathy, Donovan, and a special guest via live video while we discuss 'Letters to the Lost,' by Iona Grey. Discussion and further info can be found on the Goodreads book group page.Join us online: Event Page

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Copyright

All images, unless otherwise noted, are copyright by me. Please do not use my images without asking. Artist images are copyright by the respective artists. Recipes, magazine spreads, and historical items are copyright by the respective owners/companies.